In a post on Lit Hub, Quan Barry urges writers to expand their craft by trying different forms. While some writers want to be “branded” as an author of certain types of books, others aren’t interested. “Instead, maybe try becoming the writer who’s unpredictable, who has fun wearing all kinds of hats,” Barry says. “Don’t be afraid to make your hat collection your brand (though if you’re a one-hat writer, that’s cool too).”
When Barry turned to playwriting, his dialogue became smarter and crisper. Seeing his work performed by live actors also helped him realize the real-world impact of creating characters from underrepresented communities, because he helped create jobs for real people. Having a play in production also taught Barry about giving up control of his work once his part was finished. “Here in the rehearsal room I need to sit back, watch, be patient, give the folks in this room the freedom to try all kinds of things with my words,” he says. “I need to trust that my intentions are there on the page, and I need to trust that the artistic team who believed in me enough to put up the real-world scratch to bring my words to life know what they’re doing.”
